The First Second Son
by The Emmanator
Summary: Regulus Black never told his mother it took him nearly an entire minute to be Sorted. He never told her he'd rather play Quidditch than be a Death Eater. Never told her he didn't want children. He was full of secrets. Reguluscentric oneshots
1. Sorting

A/N: Just a little collection of Regulus oneshots. May possibly contain slash...haven't decided.

* * *

The First Second Son

1: Sorted

* * *

Looking across the crowd, the tables and tables full of people, all staring at _him. _He saw his brother whispering to his friend behind a hand. His friend frowned and nodded and they directed their attention back to the shaky, tiny first year walking up to the stool. He saw his cousin Narcissa sitting beside a blond seventh year wearing a silver badge, his cousin Andromeda waved at him from Narcissa's left.

He put the Sorting Hat on.

_Well, well, another Black. You're a strange one, well, your brother was too. You're smart, you want to rise above your expectations. _

"Slytherin…" he muttered to himself.

_You'd do wonderfully in Ravenclaw, you know. Though you do have a very defined sense of fairness…maybe Hufflepuff?_

"Slytherin."

_Well you do have a lot of nerve. I guess it'll have to be…_

"Slytherin!"

A smile cracked over Regulus' face as he left the stool and walked to the Slytherin table.

"Good job," Andromeda whispered in his ear as he took the empty place beside her.

He nodded in thanks and watched the rest of the Sorting with an sense of great relief. It ended with a black boy with the surname Zabini being Sorted into Slytherin.

* * *


	2. Birthday

* * *

The First Second Son

2: Birthday

* * *

It seemed odd that he was nearly a year older than the other boys in his year. His birthday came by quickly, those first months at Hogwarts. And before he knew it, he was twelve. Not an impressive age by any stretch of the imagination. But he was old than his dormmates.

He was nearly as old as Sirius.

Presents came in that morning from his mother and father, (a new quill, how thoughtful, Regulus thought to himself) his cousin Bellatrix and various Aunts and Uncles.

An anonymous present came with the post too. But he had a feeling he knew who it was from anyway.

Narcissa and Andromeda handed over their presents before lessons started.

Of course Bartemius Crouch Jr. was scheming a way to top them all.

"Wake up," Barty hissed in Regulus's ear, shaking him awake that later that night.

"Wuh- what? Barty what is it?" Regulus asked, irritated, rubbing his eyes as he sat up in bed.

"Come on, it's still your birthday for another hour," he said, pulling Regulus out of bed by the sleeve of his pajamas.

"We can't be out of bed this late!" Regulus said as he was forcefully dragged from the dormitory.

"Oh well, I'm taking you out for a birthday surprise," Barty said, rolling his eyes.

"What if we get caught? We could get in trouble," he insisted.

The eerie greenish glow of the common room was more obvious at night. It gave Regulus the creeps. "Where are we going?" Regulus asked.

"The kitchens, duh."

"It's eleven at night, the house elves need sleep too!"

"God, shut up, Regulus, you're going to get us caught," his friend whispered as he pushed the door open and walked out.

Despite misgivings, Regulus followed Barty all the way to the kitchens. He didn't know exactly how Barty knew where the kitchens were, but he had obviously found out about it somehow. They walked inside and realized they weren't alone.

Two house elves approached them but they were too distracted staring down the other two standing in the kitchens, eating food being handed to them by the house elves.

"We didn't see anything if you didn't see anything, happy birthday little brother," Sirius said, patting Regulus on the shoulder as he and James Potter walked out of the kitchen.

"That was odd," Regulus said, blinking a little as a small cake was shoved into his arms.

"Isn't a little late to be out of bed?" a new voice asked from the doorway. Standing in the door way, holding James and Sirius each by an ear, was Professor McGonagall. "I'm afraid the four of you will be getting detention for this," she added.

"Bollocks," Barty muttered under his breath.

"Now get back to your dormitory," she told Regulus and Barty. "Before I have to summon Professor Slughorn."

"We're going, we're going," Barty muttered, walking past the Professor and her two captives, Regulus closely behind.

"Happy Birthday anyway," Barty said. "At least it wasn't boring."

Regulus rolled his eyes. "You are nothing but trouble."

"But you still like me," he said as they made their way down to the dungeons.


	3. Snow

Barty is evil and everyone knows it.

Except, you know...his friends and family.

* * *

Snowballs

* * *

"Ow! What the hell? I'm a prefect!" Barty snapped at a giggling second year, as another snowball collided with his head.

Regulus stuffed his knuckles into his mouth.

"What?"

"Why do you hate the snow?" he asked, grinning.

"It's cold. I hate cold. I like warm weather, it's more agreeable," he explained grumpily. Another snowball hit him in the back, and he waved his wand, a large amount of snow flew up in the air and landed on two particularly dumb looking Gryffindor second years, completely burying them.

"Barty! They could get sick or something," Regulus said, looking at the Gryffindor prefect rushed over to help free them from the snow-tomb.

"Who cares? They're only chucking snowballs at us because we're Slytherins," he remarked. "Deserve it, stupid little twits."

"Then let's go inside. How about back to the common room?" Regulus asked.

"Not the dungeons, too cold," Barty muttered.

"We could go down to the kitchens?" Regulus asked. Upon receiving an odd look from Barty, he shrugged a little. "Sirius taught me how to get in. The house elves will give you anything you want."

"Okay, lead the way then."

They got down to the kitchens and were immediately greeted by a swarm of house elves. Regulus bent down low and asked very politely for different snacks and drinks, he had always had a knack for getting house elves to like him. Barty wasn't so good at this, Winky loved him, yes, but he wasn't particularly kind to her (though he wasn't particularly unkind, in his own defense), so he supposed she liked him on principle.

The house elves rushed out with a plate of cakes and scones and two cups and a pot of tea.

"That's pretty handy," Barty said, grabbing a cup of tea. Regulus sat down on the cold floor and Barty followed suit.

"It is. I don't really come down here much, though," Regulus said, taking a bite out of a little cake. "The house elves work hard enough without me forcing them to make me extra snacks at all hours of the day and night."

"Somehow I don't think they mind."

Regulus shrugged.

They sat in silence, until they had finished all of the snacks the house elves had given them.

"Would Young Masters like some more?" a tiny house elf squeaked.

"Ah, no thank you," Regulus said, and he and Barty left the kitchen.

"We could get whatever we like whenever we wanted, we should use that more," Barty said, with that look in his eyes that usually meant his gears were turning.

"I don't know, it's not like we go hungry or anything," Regulus said. "It'd be rude to go in there all the time."

Barty gave a noncommittal shrug and rolled his eyes.


	4. Rumors

Because everyone but Regulus knows Regulus is capital G-A-Y. lol. i kid. but really..

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Rumors

* * *

Regulus noticed a lot of people staring at him over the first few days of term. He turned to Rabastan one day (Barty had mysteriously disappeared) and gave him a puzzled look.

"Why do they keep looking at me so weirdly?" he asked.

"There's a lot of talking going around about you and Barty, uhm, snogging."

Regulus looked at the second year girl that was outright staring at him as he walked past. "We don't snog! What are you talking about?"

Rabastan looked around. "I think a lot of people think you do. They think it's weird."

Frowning, Regulus followed Rabastan into the common room.

They sat down in a corner, and Rabastan leaned over the small round table in front of him. "People just think that you are," he said quietly.

"Why does anyone think that we do that! He's a _bloke! _That's disgusting!"

"Well…" Rabastan said, looking as if he was trying to say something very possibly offensive very delicately. "It's just the way you two act sometimes. And how often does anyone hear about two blokes snogging? Hardly ever. Not even at Hogwarts. Personally, I couldn't care less who you snog," he said very much ignoring the denials from Regulus. "A lot of people find it weird. Mudbloods find it immoral, or something, I've heard them talking. But that's Mudbloods for you," he added, narrowing his eyes. "It's just how things happen. Don't let it get to you."

Regulus nodded, though he looked deeply troubled. "But it's not true!"

"Why don't you talk to Barty about it?" Rabastan asked.

Regulus scoffed. "He wouldn't care."

"That's just Barty," Rabastan muttered. "But these are the kind of things you talk to him about, not me."

"I guess." And Regulus stalked off to the dormitory, his mind producing images of he and Barty snogging. He wrinkled his nose at first but he realized that none of them actually seemed unpleasant.


	5. Smoke

* * *

Smoke

* * *

Regulus Black watched the smoke rise from where the fire had long burnt itself out. His mother had not quite gone to bed yet, his father would not be home for hours. His mother was his main concern.

He heard her bedroom door click shut finally, and he walked towards the front door.

"Master Regulus, where is you going?" their house-elf, Kreacher, croaked.

"Out. I forbid you to tell my parents I left, okay?" he said. He was nervous, he wasn't much for sneaking out unnoticed, that was a much more Sirius type of behavior.

"Yes, Master Regulus. Would you like a cloak to take with you? It's a chilly night," he asked pleasantly.

He shook his head, half listening. "I'll be fine. Don't lock the door after Father comes home, please."

"Yes Master Regulus," she said, curtsying before returning to her nightly cleaning.

He slipped out the front door quietly and strolled down the deserted street. He turned around a corner and walked to the end of the next street, where a dilapidated little park was placed. Some of the swings were broken or rusted, he wasn't sure if Muggles actually brought their children here to play, but Barty had said it was a good meeting place because two boys of their age wouldn't look suspicious, as teenage Muggles used the little, overgrown park to smoke in the middle of the night, so no one would pay them any mind.

Speaking of Barty…

He spotted him sitting on one of the few swings that hadn't rusted through or been broken. He looked up, surprised, at the noise Regulus was making walking over, he had even raised his wand. Despite it was summer vacation and they were both in Muggle clothes, they both donned Slytherin colors.

"I was hoping it was you," he said, gesturing to the empty swing beside him.

"Why do you say that?" he asked, sitting down.

"Muggles," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Do they bother you?"

"No. If they did I'd curse them."

Regulus looked at him uncomfortably. "We're underage and their Muggles, you can't do that, we'd get into trouble. Our parents would find out we've been sneaking out and we'd get in trouble with the Ministry," he explained.

"Muggle dueling can't be that hard," Barty said. "I don't think they'll mess with us, Reg."

Regulus nodded, dragging his foot across the dirty ground. "Have you been reading the Prophet? About him?" he asked, curious.

"Yeah, I have. My father is working night and day to stop him, the Dark Lord...but I don't see the point," Barty replied, standing up.

Regulus looked confused. "Where are you going?"

"Let's walk."

He nodded and stood up; they walked across the park into a blank stretch of all unkempt grass.

"My parents think he has the right idea, The Dark Lord, that's what Bella calls him. Bella's already joined up. They think Narcissa will soon too, her boyfriend has."

Barty sat down in the tall grass. "Really? What have they said it's like?"

"Bella is just…she loves it. She doesn't talk about what they do, but she loves it," Regulus said, sitting down. "I haven't seen Cissa or Lucius recently so I haven't asked."

Barty nodded, staring at the sky. "I think I might join. When I get out of Hogwarts."

Regulus stretched out in the grass on his back, staring at the sky. You could never see the stars in London. "Maybe…my parents would like it. Maybe I will."

Barty settled down beside him. "Do you always do things because your parents would approve?"

"Well…I'm all they've got now. Since Sirius left," he reasoned. "They always told me, ever since I was a kid, it was about family honor."

"Did you hear that?" Barty asked, standing up quickly. Regulus had also moved to stand, and nodded.

From behind the bushes a group of boys, maybe their age, maybe older, emerged, smoking and laughing. They were all at least two times the size of Barty and Regulus.

"Who're you?" the boy in the lead sneered loudly.

"Nobody," Regulus cut across, giving Barty a look that clearly said he didn't want him starting any fights.

"We haven' seen ya 'round here before," the leader said slowly. He obviously wasn't very bright.

"We aren't here a lot," Barty said shortly.

"Watch yer tone," one of the other guys said angrily.

"Are you going to make me?" Barty asked sarcastically. "I'm terrified," he said, turning to leave. "C'mon, Reg."

"Uh-uh, we aren't done with you yet," the leader snapped.

"I wasn't aware you had started," Regulus shot back arrogantly, turning back to face the Muggles.

"Hey, hey Tim, this one looks a bit like a girl," one the guys laughed, pointing at Regulus.

Regulus raised an eyebrow, and Barty turned back around. "No, Barty. Let's just go." Regulus grabbed his arms and pulled him away, turning away from the cackling, smoking Muggle boys and starting down the street.

"You should just let me…" Barty started angrily, looking over his shoulder.

"No, Barty, it's not worth it," Regulus said. "I'll owl you tomorrow or something," he added as he started towards Grimmauld place.

Barty didn't reply, but waved goodbye and started the walk back to his own house.


End file.
